Product developer Cody Hampton said that this experience has been in development for three years!

â€œWe began discussing the Droid Factory in 2009,â€ explained Cody. â€œWe know that personalization is an important aspect of the popular build-your-own light saber experience. We felt the same thing could be done with action figures but on a much larger scale.â€

Large scale indeed â€“ the Droid Factory has 71 different pieces to create the 3 Â¾-inch figures! To get started, Guests chose a dome, a body and legs offered in a variety of colors and styles (Cody said that availability of various parts and colors may change). There are optional third legs and novelty hats that can be added.

â€œWe wanted lots of options for [the Droid Factory],â€ continued Cody. â€œThere are literally thousands of combinations making each droid unique. Guests can also name their droids with sticker sheets provided at checkout.â€

Three domes â€“ R6, R8 and R9 â€“ were created exclusively for this experience at Disney Parks, as well as multi-colored ear hats were inspired by Jedi Mickeyâ€™s Astromech droid, R2-MK. Four additional hats will arrive later this summer including a Goofy hat, a pirate hat, a fedora and a Yoda cap.